I had been thinking about how Caran D'Ache Neo Colour II Water soluble crayons would go printmaking. I have used them happily with calligraphy and pattern making, but wondered how well they would transfer an image.
I went about it by making a thick blend of the crayons on a piece of Perspex, blending colours and laying them on fairly thickly.
I turned it over to see if it would print OK as an image. When I am in the groove and diving in like I was here; I sometimes (?often) forget that the image will be reversed, so I really did need to check if I could live with the way it would be. It was fine.
I love how the light above the phone reflects and makes it appear as if there is a big half moon in the sky as well.
Then I wet some really heavy 600gsm watercolour paper and ran it through the press. The moisture in the paper definitely pulled the crayons over and transferred pretty well. Had I done it on lighter paper I am sure it would have looked quite different; although I liked the rough and ready nature of the print.
What was left on the plate after making the print.
I think there is something in these crayons and will try to do some more work with them. They will probably always be a bit naive I think, and often rough and ready; but they might make great backgrounds for some letterpress words.
I went about it by making a thick blend of the crayons on a piece of Perspex, blending colours and laying them on fairly thickly.
I then used a skewer to pull away some of the crayon; planning for white space to be printed.
I turned it over to see if it would print OK as an image. When I am in the groove and diving in like I was here; I sometimes (?often) forget that the image will be reversed, so I really did need to check if I could live with the way it would be. It was fine.
I love how the light above the phone reflects and makes it appear as if there is a big half moon in the sky as well.
Then I wet some really heavy 600gsm watercolour paper and ran it through the press. The moisture in the paper definitely pulled the crayons over and transferred pretty well. Had I done it on lighter paper I am sure it would have looked quite different; although I liked the rough and ready nature of the print.
What was left on the plate after making the print.
I think there is something in these crayons and will try to do some more work with them. They will probably always be a bit naive I think, and often rough and ready; but they might make great backgrounds for some letterpress words.
Thank you for sharing this ... I'm reminded that I need to experiment more with some of my stash
ReplyDeleteIt is always good to think about experimenting with stashes Liz! This one popped into my head with a "I wonder what..." and I really like the possibilities. Now to make time for more play...go well.
Deletedid you pull a second print on a finer paper?
ReplyDeleteAlas no Mo - am of course kicking myself now...but I will definitely play again and go for a finer softer paper and see what transfers...
DeleteThe thing I like about printmaking is that there's always something new to try. This crayon mono print is definitely on my 'must have a go at' list
ReplyDeleteIt was such a surprise Jac - I use them for other things but then thought well,they're water soluble and you can draw with them and then its just like water-based ink in a way and well...let's see!
Delete..and of course, if you have a screen, these crayons can be drawn directly to it and then the colour can be released with a squeegee and print medium! It's a very loose and intuitive way to work as the results have that edge of unpredictability about them!
ReplyDeleteOooh now that sounds like even more fun Lesley! Will go rummage through my drawers...
DeleteI like a product which does more than one thing. I have these, recently tried using stencils, where lay down the colour first, place stencil on top, amd then lift/remove colour with a baby wipe.
ReplyDelete